Looking for things to do this weekend? After you ArtWalk come hear fellow EW staffer Alex Notman, a plethora of funny people and I tell naughty Christmas stories on Friday at Cozmic. Not only will we crack ourselves up, there will be wine, beer and food and it's a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood.

Also on the roster are : Laurie Notaro, author of An Idiot Girl’s Christmas: True Tales from the Top of the Naughty List (check out her piece on Yelp that she wrote for some OTHER weekly); Mark Russell, author of God Is Disappointed in You; L. J. Sellers, author of provocative mysteries and thrillers (she has a couple that feature a Eugene cop with a urinary problem); Leigh Anne Jasheway, author and standup comic; Curt Hopkins, journalist and poet; and Trisha Marcy, standup comic.

On Saturday it's time for the Cascadia Wildlands’ 10th annual Wonderland Auction is from 6 to 10 pm Saturday, Dec. 8, at the EMU Ballroom at UO. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door and include dinner and drinks. More information at cascwild.org or call 434-1463. It's more than a bunch of treehuggers standing around and more like treehuggers in nice clothes drinking and making merry and buying cool local stuff. Music, beer from Ninkasi, food from Coconut Bliss and Ring of Fire and this event packs the EMU Ballroom at the UO each year.

It's not the weekend, but on Wednsday Dec. 12 head over to Beyond Toxics, which is hosting an open house in honor of the 50th anniversary of the publishing of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. Two new video documentaries will be premiered: Malignant Mileageabout the pesticide poisoning in La Pine, Oregon; and Environmental Justice in Eugene: A Toxic Tour. The open house is from 5 to 8 pm at 1192 Lawrence in Eugene. Refreshments will be provided. See beyondtoxics.org or call 465-8860 for more information.

Local car dealer Ridley's Rides is getting some attention from Ad Week and elsewhere for its eBay listings that supposedly use the owner's daughter to sell cars, sexy-style. I notice that they don't use sexy pics for the station wagons.

Local TV station KVAL jumped on the story and revealed that nope, it's not a daughter, merely a "longtime friend." This sort of begs the questions as to why he said it was his daughter in the first place, but I will just leave that to your speculation.

Just because EW had early Tofurky Day deadlines does not mean you don't need to hear more about the Lane County Board of County Commissioners meeting today. They didn't just talk turkey and pilgrims, they talked animals and air.

Animals

Animal advocates having been coming to commission meetings and speaking up. As a result, the commission voted to retain the animal advisory committee, look into changes in its contract with Greenhill and to fill open positions on the committee. Looks like from this web update that the R-G will have a full story Nov. 21, so I will move on to air.

Air

Commish Jay Bozievich helpfully fowarded an email about a 1:30 pm Nov. 27 work session at Harris Hall on the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA).

Two of the topics which will be discussed at this work session are:

What would the community lose without LRAPA?

What costs would local governments incur without LRAPA?

Merlyn Hough, LRAPA executive director, wrote up a briefing report on the agency (see below). Some praise LRAPA for its air quality monitoring and programs for improving air quality, like the one that replaces wood stoves with cleaner-burning stoves. Other say LRAPA rubber-stamps industry permits, like the Seneca biomass-burning plant. Either way, if you care about LRAPA you should show up for the work session. Worked for the animal folks.

Some people celebrate Thanksgiving as a family event, others as a day to mourn what's happened to America's indignous peoples, still more go for the Chinese food and movie option. And of course a whole sh*t ton of people see Thanksgving as the day before they go on a crazy shopping spree. But according to some sources, that shopping spree is probably the idea way to celebrate Turkey Day because that's what it's really about. Capitalism.

Capitalism was the lesson of the day from Commissioner Jay Boziviech (West Lane) at the Lane County Board of Commissioners meeting On Nov. 20. During the Commissioners Remonstrance Boziviech took the opportunity to tell the "real" story of Thanksgiving, which in this version (which seems to be taken directly from Rush Limbaugh's book and the story he repeats each year on his show), basically: Thanksgiving is the celebration of a pilgrimic triumph over communism and a celebration of capitalism.

Here's what he said:

I kind of want to remind people about the real story of Thanksgiving. There’s been a lot of myths around it: You know the Pilgrims and the Indians and the Indians taught the Pilgrims how to grow food and that’s what they were celebrating. That’s not the real story.

The Pilgrims, on the way across the ocean, developed a societal system that was basically a commune, long before Lenin was ever alive, they came to America, started this communal system of common property where everybody’s food that they grew was thrown in a common storehouse and taken out at will. And you know what? Over the first couple winters they starved because people had no incentive to produce and there was a lot of corruption and theft from the warehouse. So they finally decided to let people have ownership over a plot of land and keep the goods that they grew.

And you know what? That the following year they had a tremendous bounty they and held a celebration and that was the first Thanksgiving. Basically what you are celebrating in Thanksgiving is private property rights and being able to hang on to the fruits of your own labor. … Please remember why we celebrate it and that’s because it was about private property rights and capitalism.

America: We kicked communism's ass before communism was even born.

You can watch it on video here. The turkey talk starts about 42 minutes in.

Google Pilgrim communists and you will get a lot of conservative and Tea Party website hits.The Christian Science Monitor did a nice historical look at Thanksiving that talks about how the Pilgrims' journals discussed the whole Pilgrims and Native Americans thing.

In a letter to a friend, dated December 1621, Edward Winslow wrote: "Our harvest being gotten in, our Governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a more special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruit of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week, at which time, among other Recreations, we exercised our Arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest King Massasoit, with some 90 men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted and they went out and killed five Deer, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and others."

The recent debate on EW's Facebook page and blog about the Diablos poster led to a lot of conversations about race, fetishization and how we conceive of and portray Native Americans, African-Americans, race and whiteness. Diablos apologized for the poster, pulled it and went to dialogue with local indigenous people at the UO's Many Nations Longhouse, a pretty classy response to concerns from the community.

Here's what Diablos said in response to the FB comments:

There's been an unfortunate controversy over our "Spanksgiving Fetish Night" poster. In this case, we have to agree with our critics and take our lumps so to speak. The poster was in poor taste.

While fetish events frequently offend someone, this is a case where the offense was not intentional and poorly considered. The posters and facebook event logo have been pulled and changed. We sincerely apologize for the offense.

By nature fetishes frequently involve objectification, within the fetish community it is mandatory that it be consensual objectification. In this case we made a big mistake and didn't consider consent of the community we were depicting. We try to be a completely inclusive bar. We host drag shows, fundraisers, bingo, fetish events, and we have a very diverse clientele.

We failed this time. We are very sorry!

This video by the 1491s came up in some of the comments. Favorite part? "Clueless" shirtless hipster in headdress.

Word has gotten out that The Eugene Register-Guard is planning to move music and entertainment (Ticket) reporter Serena Markstrom to a news beat. Admitedly the R-G and EW have a friendly rivalry going on, and we cheerfully snark the daily whenever we can, but I don't know that we've ever snarked Serena* because, let's face it, she's good.

Newspapers are facing draining resources and shrinking newsrooms. Local voices like Serena's are what keep papers like the R-G relevant. Not only does she win praise from her readers and local musicians for her coverage of the Eugene scene, she can work PajamaJeans into a New Year's Eve entertainment story.

So, EW thinks there needs to be a letter writing campaign: Keep Serena Writing Entertainment (why yes, we DID make a Facebook page, doesn't every good cause need one? And we stole the photo from her Pinterest page.) Email works too. But remember, WRITE, it's not enough to grumble or to just "like" a page.

Is it weird the alt weekly would start a letter-writing campaign in support of the compeition? (After all, the idea is the R-G is better with Serena on entertainment would mean EW is, gasp, trying to help the daily.) Maybe, but our alternative voice is better if the mainstream voice is good.

Like Serena's writing? Like the coverage she's given local musicians? Write the R-G and tell the editors that they need to keep her on the entertainment beat and tell them why.

The Elliott State Forest has been the focus of local campaigns to stop the logging of the last of Oregon's coastal rain forest. It would seem that when you mix good old fashioned lawsuits with some good old fashioned protests, you get somewhere.

Conservation Organizations Applaud the State but Push for Lasting Protections

SALEM, Ore.- After a lawsuit by conservation groups, the State of Oregon has suspended logging of 914 acres of old-growth forest on the Elliott State Forest that is habitat for the threatened marbled murrelet. Previously, ten timber sales were suspended in response to the lawsuit filed in July by Cascadia Wildlands, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Audubon Society of Portland. The suit asserts that the state is harming the rare seabird by logging its nesting habitat in violation of the Endangered Species Act.

"The state of Oregon has been playing fast and loose with the law for years in the way it claims to 'protect' the imperiled marbled murrelet," said Francis Eatherington, conservation director of Cascadia Wildlands. "The decision to further defer hundreds of acres of clearcuts is one that we welcome and provides interim relief for the murrelet."

Plaintiffs discovered the logging deferral announcement in an Oregon Department of Forestry memo, dated Sept. 19, 2012, that was just recently posted to the Department's website. The memo suggests that the State will defer 15 additional timber sales until the lawsuit currently pending in U.S. District Court is resolved, and that the State will work to identify other logging projects that are free of the contested issues in the case. Plaintiffs have long advocated the state focus its timber operations on young plantation forests in need of restoration rather than older forests that are critical to the survival of a host of endangered species, including marbled murrelets.

"Logging on state forests cannot be done at the expense of the survival of the marbled murrelet or any other animals that depend on old forests for their survival," said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director with the Center for Biological Diversity. "The last remaining old forests in Oregon are precious and need to be protected not just for the marbled murrelet, but for future generations."

The most recent status review of the murrelet by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found the birds have been declining by about four percent per year and that this decline relates to continued loss of habitat, primarily on state and private lands.

The State of Oregon recently abandoned its decade-long attempt to develop habitat conservation plans (HCPs) for the Elliott, as well as the Clatsop and Tillamook State Forests, that would have given it a federal permit for limited impacts to marbled murrelets in exchange for habitat protection measures designed to enhance the bird's conservation. Rather than improving habitat protections, the state walked away from the HCP process altogether and instead ramped up logging on all three forests. The lawsuit seeks to force the State to halt logging practices that are harmful to murrelets until it develops a plan that will protect murrelets and the mature forests on which the birds and other species depend.

"It is time for the State to return to the table and negotiate a balanced plan for each of the state forests that will provide adequate protection for the murrelet, allow for responsible and sustainable logging, and ensure that the State meets the requirements of the Endangered Species Act," said Bob Sallinger, conservation director for the Audubon Society of Portland.

The conservation organizations are represented by outside counsel Daniel Kruse of Eugene, Tanya Sanerib and Chris Winter of the Crag Law Center, Nick Cady of Cascadia Wildlands, Scott Jerger of Field Jerger LLP, and Susan Jane Brown of the Western Environmental Law Center.

Diablos responded very quickly to the comments on its Facebook page and to EW's request for comment:

Shame on us.... yes, agreed. It was in VERY poor taste. here's our general response on the issue ... While fetish events frequently offend someone, this is a case where the offence was not intentional and poorly considered. The posters and facebook event logo have been pulled and changed. We sincerely apologize for the offence.

By nature fetishes frequently involve objectification, within the fetish community it is mandatory that it be consensual objectification. In this case we made a big mistake and didn't consider consent of the community we were depicting. We try to be a completely inclusive bar. We host drag shows, fundraisers, bingo, fetish events, and we have a very diverse clientele. We failed this time. We are very sorry!

Diablos is having a Fetish Ball Thanksgiving weekend, and its poster uses a woman in an "Indian headdress" to advertise the event.

According to Will Doolittle who has begun calling attention to the poster on Facebook, "Diablos Bar, in Eugene Oregon, perpetuates racist stereotypes in advertising their 'Spanksgiving Fetish Night.' Their phone number is 541-343-2346. Their facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/diablosdtl I told the person answering the phone that they'd probably be receiving more calls about this insulting poster. She said she is sorry if people are offended but they can't do anything about it."

The response to the poster had only just begun as this blog went up, so Diablos has not yet had chance to respond to the Facebook comments.

Word is that tomorrow, after culture night at the UO Many Nations longhouse (17th and Columbia), people will go as a group to approach Diablos about the issue.

Can I smoke pot outside my home? Like at a park, magic show, or the Bite of Seattle?

Much like having an open container of alcohol in public, doing so could result in a civil infraction—like a ticket—but not arrest. You can certainly use marijuana in the privacy of your own home. Additionally, if smoking a cigarette isn’t allowed where you are (say, inside an apartment building or flammable chemical factory), smoking marijuana isn’t allowed there either.

Will police officers be able to smoke marijuana?

As of right now, no. This is still a very complicated issue

…

What happens if I get pulled over and I’m sober, but an officer or his K9 buddy smells the ounce of Super Skunk I’ve got in my trunk?

Under state law, officers have to develop probable cause to search a closed or locked container. Each case stands on its own, but the smell of pot alone will not be reason to search a vehicle. If officers have information that you’re trafficking, producing or delivering marijuana in violation of state law, they can get a warrant to search your vehicle.

SPD seized a bunch of my marijuana before I-502 passed. Can I have it back?

Voters will not know who is funding the final attacks until after the election

(EUGENE, OR)- Republican Super PAC Inc. (RSPI) has spent nearly $170,000 in the final week in an attempt to attack Peter DeFazio and buy Art Robinson a seat in congress. In FEC reports dated 10/31 and 11/1, RSPI purchased an additional $93,000 of television time and spent nearly $75,000 on two mail pieces attacking DeFazio.

“My so-called ‘fiscally conservative’ opponent Art Robinson has blown nearly $1 million on his book, thousands of message signs full of empty promises he cannot and has no intention of keeping, and radio and television ads that try to hide his ultra right-wing extreme ideals. But Art could drain his bank account because Republican Super PAC Inc (RSPI) bailed out his campaign on TV, radio, and in the mail. RSPI and its Wall Street funder don’t care that Art Robinson has no plan to get people back to work, or that his budget plan would drive us deeper into debt. They just want to buy votes for the guy who will bend to their will. People might not always agree with me, but they know where I stand and that I have the backbone to stand up to these special interests,” said DeFazio.

RSPI’s current television ad and a recent mailer sent to thousands of households falsely claims that DeFazio voted against a balanced budget amendment in 2011. DeFazio led the Democratic support for the only balanced budget amendment voted on in the House of Representatives in the current Congress. Politico highlighted DeFazio’s support of the BBA in November 2011 writing, “Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio is urging his colleagues to buck Democratic leadership and vote in favor of the balanced budget amendment that’s headed for a vote in the House at the end of this week.” (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68413.html#ixzz2B6j4NSvB)

RSPI claims that DeFazio voted against a balanced budget amendment in 2011 and cited HR 2560, legislation that was not a balanced budget amendment. In a non-partisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) report, CRS found that “the bill itself was not a balanced budget amendment” (http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41907.pdf page 23).

RSPI will not file a FEC report disclosing its recent donors until after the election, keeping voters in the dark about who is funding the attacks against DeFazio in the closing days of the election.

DeFazio’s campaign has also recently received calls from voters contacted in a push poll paid for by Republican Super PAC Inc., claiming DeFazio intends to raise taxes and increase spending. The push poll phone number (541-823-5019) doesn’t connect to a business or individual.

The DeFazio campaign's billboards aren't the only way that non-Robinsonians are looking to explain Robinson. For some weekend viewing fun, we're reposting a video one of our readers created:

David Mark, editor-in-chief at Politix and author of “Going Dirty: The Art of Negative Campaigning,” said, “Robinson has virtually no shot of winning because it’s not clear at all that the advertisements are illegal.”

Several citizens gave public comments asking that the commissioners retain the Lane County Animal Services Committee and fill the vacancies that have opened up on it. (See our story in tomorrow's EW.)

During the "Commissioners' Remonstrance" Commish Bozievich sends goodwill to those affected by the East Coast storm and then says he felt most people are not prepared for disasters and suggests some sites to go to for advice and also suggests to give blood.

Commish Stewart shares the East Coast good wishes and asks County Admin Liane Richardson if she was ready for an update on the Animal Services Committee. Richardson says she hasn't heard anything from Eugene or Springfield about creating a multijurisdictional committee. Stewart suggests it be made clear to Eugene and Springfield their input would be needed to form a committee that would extend beyond the animals in the county's purview (aka only the animals in the unincorporated areas).

ANIMALS and CLIMATE CHANGE!

Commish Handy says the county needed to send a message to Springfield and Eugene that a multijurisdictional taskforce is needed. He too voices his concerns about the storm and remind everyone that climate change is a huge issue right now and policymakers need to take it seriously.

He gets a couple gold stars for that.

Sorenson thanks the animal folks for coming and reminds the board of needed to fill spots on the animal services committee. He also comments on the storm and pointed out some of the devastation comes from poor land use planning and not protecting land that could be used as buffers and points out that around here we have houses built too close to lakes and rivers. And he points out the link in the increase in storms to man-made climate change.

More gold stars.

Leikin says he's talked to the mayor of Springfield and not seeing a lot of "appetite" for a multijurisdictional committee and suggests folks go to the next Springfield City Council meeting and voice their concerns. He sends out his storm concerns and gives some other shout outs.

Then they do a their consent calendar thing.

Then Liane Richardson talks about disaster prepardness.

Bored yet? Me too. Hang in there, it gets more fun. Or just skip down to the end.

PUBLIC SAFETY

The public safety update starts at about 21:30. Richardson sas if something's going to be put on the ballot (aka asking the voters if they want to have a tax) things need to be discussed.

Sheriff Tom Turner comes in and does a jail funding update. The county is going to lose 15 more jail beds.

He says with Judge Hogan retiring the new appointee will be from another county (Multnomah) and thus there will be less cases here. A change up at Sheridan will also reduce Lane County's numbers and overall less prisoners from the feds. Funding for 20 fewer beds from the feds means the county loses 15 beds because jail beds are closed in wings or groups.

And then the commissioners talk for a long time about public safety. At about an hour in, Sorenson brings up concerns about the jail-only focus of the discussion. Turner says Sorenson's questions are "difficult."

The idea of a tax gets discussed (told you so). Leiken says the most important thing is that what is put forward is something that would win in the voters' minds.

Stewart makes an interesing point about how creating a public safety district could run up against that pesky Metro Plan that makes the county and cities work together.

Bozievich grumbles about Sorenson's criticisms of materials not being available on the website and talking to "the press." Hmm, wonder who that is? Anyway, Sorenson's not the only one complaining about that. And I'm just going to throw out there that if the agenda said things like "public safety poll and ballot measure" instead of just "public safety" that would be a little more clear.

Anyway, basically they get around to saying if they are going to put a tax on the May ballot they need to start polling and get a timeline going after the election and by early December.

The discussion goes on in that vein. Feel free to watch the whole video here.

PICTURES!

I'm guessing it was after the meeting ended that Commish Jay Bozievich posted on Facebook what he was doing durings some of the discussion: taking pictures of Pete Sorenson. (I'd ask Bozievich if his Facebooking was post meeting but despite his recent comments on my blog about transparency, last I checked he said he would only talk to me if I asked my questions via a public records request, and those things are kind of spendy when it comes to the county. Anyway, he tends to be pretty by the book, so I'm guessing his FBing was after the meeting.)

And here I was thinking that posting pictures of the kid you're mad at was something high school kids did.